Beginning Dec. 31, a cyclist will ride across the country in 10 days using what?

In typical Google style, the company plans to make an entrance at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month. That’s why it's funding a project that integrates the Google Assistant into Electron’s Gen 2 Wheel for bicycles. The system allows the rider to control the features of the wheel, such as assist mode for inclines, by speaking to the Google Assistant through the microphone in their smartphone.

To get the product to CES, cyclist Max Lippe will ride a bike equipped with the Assistant-powered Electron Wheel from Union Square in New York City to Las Vegas. Lippe will have to ride for 17 hours each day, and if all goes according to plan he should roll into Las Vegas 10 days later, on day two of CES. Since the wheel can only go about 50 miles per charge, Lippe will be trailed by a van with six additional wheels that can be quickly swapped out and recharged.